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Contents:
Captains All
The Boatswain's Mate
The Nest Egg
The Constable's Move
Bob's Redemption
Over The Side
The Four Pigeons
The Temptation Of Samuel Burge
The Madness Of Mr. Lister
The White Cat

CAPTAINS ALL

[Illustration: "Captains All."]

Every sailorman grumbles about the sea, said the night watchman,
thoughtfully. It's human nature to grumble, and I s'pose they keep on
grumbling and sticking to it because there ain't much else they can do.
There's not many shore going berths that a sailorman is fit for, and
those that they are such as a night watchman's, for instance wants such
a good character that there's few as are to equal it.

Sometimes they get things to do ashore. I knew one man that took up
butchering, and 'e did very well at it till the police took him up.
Another man I knew gave up the sea to marry a washerwoman, and they
hadn't been married six months afore she died, and back he 'ad to go to
sea agin, pore chap.

A man who used to grumble awful about the sea was old Sam Small a man
I've spoke of to you before. To hear 'im go on about the sea, arter he
'ad spent four or five months' money in a fortnight, was 'artbreaking.
He used to ask us wot was going to happen to 'im in his old age, and when
we pointed out that he wouldn't be likely to 'ave any old age if he
wasn't more careful of 'imself he used to fly into a temper and call us
everything 'e could lay his tongue to.

One time when 'e was ashore with Peter Russet and Ginger Dick he seemed
to 'ave got it on the brain. He started being careful of 'is money
instead o' spending it, and three mornings running he bought a newspaper
and read the advertisements, to see whether there was any comfortable
berth for a strong, good 'arted man wot didn't like work.

He actually went arter one situation, and, if it hadn't ha' been for
seventy nine other men, he said he believed he'd ha' had a good chance of
getting it. As it was, all 'e got was a black eye for shoving another
man, and for a day or two he was so down 'arted that 'e was no company at
all for the other two.

For three or four days 'e went out by 'imself, and then, all of a sudden,
Ginger Dick and Peter began to notice a great change in him. He seemed
to 'ave got quite cheerful and 'appy. He answered 'em back pleasant when
they spoke to 'im, and one night he lay in 'is bed whistling comic songs
until Ginger and Peter Russet 'ad to get out o' bed to him. When he
bought a new necktie and a smart cap and washed 'imself twice in one day
they fust began to ask each other wot was up, and then they asked him.

"Up?" ses Sam; "nothing."

"He's in love," ses Peter Russet.

"You're a liar," ses Sam, without turning round.

"He'll 'ave it bad at 'is age," ses Ginger.

Sam didn't say nothing, but he kept fidgeting about as though 'e'd got
something on his mind. Fust he looked out o' the winder, then he 'ummed
a tune, and at last, looking at 'em very fierce, he took a tooth brush
wrapped in paper out of 'is pocket and began to clean 'is teeth.

"He is in love," ses Ginger, as soon as he could speak.

"Or else 'e's gorn mad," ses Peter, watching 'im. "Which is it, Sam?"

Sam made believe that he couldn't answer 'im because o' the tooth brush,
and arter he'd finished he 'ad such a raging toothache that 'e sat in a
corner holding 'is face and looking the pictur' o' misery. They couldn't
get a word out of him till they asked 'im to go out with them, and then
he said 'e was going to bed. Twenty minutes arterwards, when Ginger Dick
stepped back for 'is pipe, he found he 'ad gorn.

He tried the same game next night, but the other two wouldn't 'ave it,
and they stayed in so long that at last 'e lost 'is temper, and, arter
wondering wot Ginger's father and mother could ha' been a thinking about,
and saying that he believed Peter Russet 'ad been changed at birth for a
sea sick monkey, he put on 'is cap and went out. Both of 'em follered
'im sharp, but when he led 'em to a mission hall, and actually went
inside, they left 'im and went off on their own... Continue reading book >>